Half Life 2: Journey Scars
by Kiefer I
Summary: Alyx and Gordon get a medical check-up after their long journey to White Forest. *spoilers*
1. Chapter 1

_This story takes place right after Alyx delivers tea to her father during Eli's conversation with Gordon about their Mutual Friend. _

_Disclaimer: Half life belongs to Valve Software. _

**Half Life 2: The Journey Scars**

"Here you go."

Alyx Vance walked into the room, clutching the mug of hot tea. As she entered, she spotted her father, Eli Vance, quickly sit back down into the red sofa. Alyx moved closer towards her father, noticing Gordon Freeman's face looked grave.

"Is everything alright?", she asked, concerned.

Eli frowned, relieving Alyx of the tea. "Oh, it's nothing, honey."

She wasn't convinced, but played along with her father's lie, sitting next to him on the couch. Gordon stood, thinking about what Eli had said about the G-Man.

Alyx glanced at her father. "Are you sure your okay?"

Eli began rubbing his eyes. "Yeah. It's just been a long couple of days worrying about you, Gordon and Judith. I just don't have the strength that I had when I was young."

Alyx grasped one of Eli's hands.

"Don't worry, Dad. Everything will be okay."

Eli smiled, but still kept the grief inside.

"Okay, baby,", Eli ordered, raising himself off of the sofa, "I want you and Gordon to go down to the medical wing. Dr. Forest is waiting for you."

Alyx frowned.

"But Gordon and I are fi . . ." She was interrupted by Eli's glare, signaling that the subject was not up for discussion.

"Okay, fine." She said submissively. "Come'on Gordon. Lets go." The pair exited the room. Eli stared at the door for a moment.

"Please, God," Eli silently prayed, "protect them. They're all I have."

---

After passing hall after hall, Gordon and Alyx reached the medical wing of White Forest. Alyx walked up to a keypad next to the bulkhead door and pressed the intercom button.

"Dr. Forest?", Alyx spoke into the speaker.

Thru a sea of static, Gordon could hear a reply.

"Yes?"

"It's Alyx and Gordon."

"Aw, yes. Please come in."

The door clacked open, allowing the pair to enter a smaller hallway. This hallway contained one door and a long viewing window of the medical room connected. Gordon opened the next door, beckoning Alyx in. Dr. Kathryn Forest looked up from some files on her desk, smiling at her guests.

The room was circular shaped with shelves surrounding the walls containing tools, files and liquid filled jars holding strange little creatures. A flat, metal "bed" was sitting in the middle of the room, ready for the next patients.

"Alyx, it's good to see you." Dr. Forest called out, grabbing the young woman's hands, "It's been a while."

Alyx smiled at her old friend. "It has. How are you?"

Forest shrugged. "Can't complain. Now, lets check up on your condition. Gordon, you'll be after her."

Gordon smiled, nodding in agreement.

Alyx removed her blood and mud stained coat, which sported two big holes in the back. The Black Mesa sweater came off next, causing small amounts of dirt to drift to the floor. She was now only wearing a white T-shirt and her jeans.

"Alyx, can you get up on the table, please?", Forest asked. Alyx obeyed, lifting herself onto the cold metal bed. Gordon stood behind her, leaning against the plexi-glass window.

"Ok, now lift the back of your shirt."

Alyx did what she was told, revealing her back. Gordon quickly diverted his eyes respectfully. Alyx noticed the gesture.

"It's just my back, Gordon." She called out playfully. Deep inside, she did feel a bit embarrassed. Gordon slightly glanced at her body, able to see the damage. Long cuts lined her shoulder blades accompanied by large bruises. The holes caused by the Hunter were closed, thanks to their Vortigaunt friends earlier, but still left two deep red rings on Alyx's back. Her arms and legs sported even more cuts.

Dr. Forest examined each cut, cleaning each one as she went. After cleaning each cut, Kathryn carefully placed bandages on each wound. She then shot some antibiotics into Alyx's arm, just in case infections would arise. After this was done, Alyx's check-up was over. The patient dropped down from the table, grabbing a clean pair of olive pants and a clean shirt from a nearby shelf. "Okay, Gordon. Your turn."


	2. Chapter 2

Gordon sat on the table, his Hazard Suit clacking against the metal seat. He relieved the gloves and boot portions of the Suite by himself. The other parts needed two people to operate.

"Mr. Freeman," Dr. Forest called out, "I need you to grab the bars above your head." Gordon reached up, grasping the long bars. This allowed Dr. Forest to unlatch the buckles running down Gordon's side, connected to the orange, metal breastplate. Dr. Forest then began to unzip the rubber mesh under the metal armor.

"Alright, you can bring your hands down now." Forest spoke softly. Alyx sat near the table on a metal stool, watching the whole process.

Dr. Forest started to pull the top half of the Hazard Suite, revealing Gordon's white T-shirt underneath. At least, it used to be white. Now, it was red, encrusted with old and fresh blood from his body's wounds. Dr. Forest reached for scissors and began cutting from Gordon's left sleeve to the bottom of the shirt. She then started to peel the fabric back slowly, trying not to open up the cuts a second time. Gordon hissed as the open air entered his wounds. Alyx gasped, raising her hands to her mouth in shock. Even Dr. Forest looked stunned.

Gordon's body was a mess. Deep cuts lined his entire body. Three claw-like gashes that proceeded down Gordon's left side were the worst. These were caused by the claws of a zombie, who gained the chance to strike at Freeman, and succeeded. Big black bruises blotched his body. To add to the problem, three bullet holes could be seen. The Hazard Suit had slowed their decent, only allowing the bullets to penetrate the outer skin. The slugs were still wedged in his flesh, visible from the outside. The rest of his skin was pale from no contact with the sun. After a few moments of staring, Dr. Forest composed himself.

"Um, I'm going to have to run a core diagnostic on your internal organs and bones." Gordon nodded in agreement. Alyx jumped from her seat and headed out of the room into the little hallway outside, wiping moister from her eyes. It was becoming too much to bear. She had seen her fair share of horrible wounds from countless rebels, but this was different. This was somebody she cared for.

She peered through the window, watching Gordon lye fully on the bed.

'He has gone thru some much' she thought, 'He has risked everything for everybody. Everything trying to protect me. The pain he's gone through. . .' She looked away from his wounds, wincing.

"I am starting the scanning process . . .now." Dr. Forest called out.

A grid of green lasers danced across Gordon's body, moving back and forth, scanning his innards. After a few moments of this procedure, the lasers disappeared and Forest checked the computer readouts. She exhaled, assessing the major damage.

"Gordon, your left shoulder is dislocated and three of your fingers are out of their sockets. You have minor internal bleeding and one of your ribs is cracked. You have lost a lot of blood and . . ." She stopped looking at the list of injuries on the computer. "I'm not going to waste time naming the other fractures, because you need help right now." With that, she grabbed a small drill handing above Gordon. It carried a long tube, which attached to the small drill.

"Now, I am going to put you to sleep for an hour. I should be done by then."

Alyx twirled the small cube on her necklace nervously, watching Dr. Forest operate on Gordon. Forest started to drill into Gordon's skin, cementing each broken bone. Tears started to well up in Alyx's eyes, again.

"How's our boy doing?" Eli called, making Alyx jump. She hadn't noticed her father enter the hallway.

"Um," She stalled, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes so Eli wouldn't notice. "I think he's going to be okay."

Eli walked up to his daughter, knowing of the emotions that arose in her.

"I told you. There's nothing Gordon can't handle."

Alyx gave a small laugh.

"Except for me." Her smile faded, "Although, I have been the problem for Gordon."

Eli frowned at this comment.

"What do you mean?"

Alyx's eyes were producing fresh tears. "If it hadn't been for me, he wouldn't have received those . . ." She spoke, choking on the words. "He spent so much time trying to rescue me and . . ." She was interrupted by Eli, who suddenly embraced her.

"Gordon needed you and you needed Gordon. Without each other, you would have perished. We can't control the scars we receive on a dangerous journey. Both you and Gordon helped each other on the road. It was hard, I know. But you two are safe now, and that's what matters."

Alyx hadn't thought of it that way. She dug her face deeper into her father's shoulder, letting the last tears dry. She pulled back from her father arm.

"Thanks, Dad." She whispered. Eli smiled and walked towards the exit.

"Oh," Eli stopped and turned "your old room is open if you want to clean up."

Alyx nodded, smiling at the thought of sleeping in her old room again.

"Okay. Thank you."

---

Gordon awoke, feeling stiffness pass through his whole body. He looked down across his chest, seeing numerous bandages criss-cross his body. He tried to prop himself up on the table, but was met with sharp pains both inside and out.

"Oh, good," Dr. Forest chimed, "your awake. Well, I have fused your broken bones and stopped the internal bleeding. All of your lacerations are bandaged and clean of any debris or infection. I have injected antibiotics, hyper-growth medicine and some painkiller. By tomorrow morning, you should be in shape to fight anything that dares challenge you. "

Gordon was impressed. Back in his own time period, it would have taken him weeks to recover from his wounds. Dr. Forest walked over to some shelves and pulled out a fresh pair of clothes. She handed Gordon olive pants, a white t-shirt and a towel.

"Once you go out this door, make your way to Sector H. Two doors on the right are the showers. Don't worry about the bandages. They're sealed tight and waterproof. They're not going anywhere for a while."

Gordon nodded.

"Thank you.", he mumbled under his breath. Forest smiled.

"Your welcome."

---

Gordon exited the showers, his short hair still dripping wet. He didn't care. That was probably the best shower he had ever taken. He was glad to get the Hazard Suit off, as well. Even though he felt completely exposed without it, he felt relieved to wear actual cotton. The olive cargo pants were a bit baggy, though, but Gordon ignored the size and started walking down the hall. Before he could take three steps, a rebel called out his name. Gordon turned to see a soldier jog up.

"Mr. Freeman? Your room is down that way," the rebel pointed the opposite way. "Room number '121'." Gordon gave a smile, signaling that he understood. He then began to walk down the other direction of the hall.

---

'117, 118, 119 . . .' Gordon counted in his mind, passing each room. After a few more doors, Gordon reached room '121'. He unhooked the latch and pressed against the door, moving the large metal bulkhead. He stopped at the door frame, stunned to see Alyx folding up her old clothes. She looked up, smiling a nervous smile.

"Hey." She greeted, trying to keep her cool. She walked a bit closer to Gordon, who looked a bit shocked.

"Um," she started, rubbing the back of her neck. "Dad said that all the rooms are full and that this is the only one left." She knew that her father was lying when he told her this. Alyx looked to Gordon for a reply. She only saw nervousness cross over his features.

"I can find another room for me to . . ."

"No. It's fine." Gordon spoke up, keeping the shakiness out of his voice.

Alyx smiled, glad that Gordon was growing comfortable with his voice. She had every right to be a bit nervous. She had never slept in the same room with another man. Gordon had the same train of thought, seeing that he had never slept in the same room with a woman.

To Gordon's relief, there were two beds, separated by a "nightstand" in the middle.

"Okay. We better get some rest," Alyx spoke , "It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

Gordon walked up to the bed on the right, pulling back the top sheets. He then grunted as he lumbered into the mattress, careful not to disturb his wounds. Concern flushed onto Alyx's face.

"Are you going to be okay?", she asked, intertwining her fingers.

"I'll be alright.", he said, covering his body in blankets

Alyx nodded, moving towards the light switch, killing the lights. The only light source now was from a small square view port above their heads. Moonlight danced across the room, illuminating everything with a soft glow. Alyx took her place in her bed.

"Goodnight," she called out to Gordon.

"Goodnight," he replied.

Alyx snuggled under the sheets, staring at Gordon's back, seeing that he had shifted onto his side. 'Everything is going to be alright.' She thought, 'as long as I have Gordon next to me.' She smiled, shifting onto her opposite side as well.

Gordon peeked over his shoulder at the women next to his bed, marveling at how much he was beginning to care for her. He fell into a deep sleep, comforted to know that Alyx was safe and by his side.

---

The next morning, a loud knock awoke Gordon. He groaned as he rose from the bed and groggily walked towards the bulkhead door. Alyx rolled onto her back, squinting from the bright morning sun, then covered her eyes with her arm. Gordon unlatched the lock and swung the door in. Dr. Magnusson stood there, arms folded in frustration.

"Well, I hope I'm not interrupting your little nap."

Gordon almost rolled his eyes out of annoyance.

"Freeman, it seems that I have found the perfect use for you. Follow me. Quickly"

Gordon looked over at Alyx, who shrugged. "You go on. I'll catch up with you in a bit." She said, rolling back onto her pillow.

Gordon exited the room following Dr. Magnusson, who explained the details as they walked.

"Freeman," he began, "Striders are coming . . ."


End file.
